Trivia
A list of trivial details in DARLING in the FRANXX. Names Character names * All members of Squad 13 and their caregivers have Goroawase names that correspond with their code numbers. * Hiro’s name means generous, widespread, and it is the apt name for hero, which signifies his status as the main male protagonist. * Zero Two’s code can form the Goroawase name Oni, which means demon ''in Japanese. This signifies her horns and klaxosaur characteristics which give her a demonic outlook. * Ichigo’s name means ''strawberry in Japanese. Zero Two notes that Ichigo tastes ‘sweet’. * Kokoro’s name means heart in Japanese, in reference to her kind personality. * Futoshi's name can mean thick, or fat ''in Japanese, in reference to his portly appearance. * Zorome's name means ''repeated digits ''in Japanese, in reference to his code number (Code 666). His name is also the only one which isn't a Goroawase name. * All members of the 9's have names derived from the Greek alphabet. Zero Two’s former code name was Nine Iota, which means ''nine in Greek. * All members of the APE council wear masks that resemble different monkey species and they have names to correspond with their masks. Such examples are Gorilla, Baboon, Marmoset, Lemur, and Tarsier. Papa and the Vice Chairman are the only ones who do not fit this criterion. * Papa’s name comes from a term used in which one who is an authoritarian figure is called by his followers, commonly in religious sects. It also reflects his status as the leader and commander in chief of humanity, especially the children. Location names * The quarantine location of the parasites is referred to as a Birdcage, signifying how the children are kept in isolation from the world and only allowed out unless they are needed, like birds in a cage. * The safe haven for the parasites was named the Bird Nest, which architecturally resembles a bird’s nest. It could be used to signify the gathering of all the parasites and housing them until they had matured enough to venture in their own, like baby birds. * Plantation 13 is named Cerasus (a type of edible sour cherry), the home of its parasites is named Mistilteinn (mistletoe), Plantation 26 is Chrysanthemum and APE's HQ is named Cosmos. DARLING in the FRANXX terms * Parasites refer to the children who pilot the FRANXX but, in biological terms, a parasite is an organism that lives on or in another organism, deriving benefit from living on or in that other organism, while not contributing towards that other organism sufficiently to cover the cost to that other organism. * All the FRANXX units and Plantations are named after flowers. * For parasites, the male pilots are called stamens and the female pilots are called pistils, which are the male-female gametes used in floral reproduction. * The FRANXX units are named after their creator whose real name is Dr. Werner Frank. The double xx is in reference to the normal complement of female sex chromosomes (as the FRANXX are the byproducts of Klaxosaurs, which are formed from female klaxosapiens). * The Klaxosaurs translate to Kyoryuu in Japanese, which uses the kanji for scream and dragon, hence screaming reptiles in Japanese. Klaxosaur is a portmanteau of klaxon, which is a loud electric horn, and the suffix -saur, which is derived from the ancient Greek for lizard and identifies the genera of the extinct great reptiles, the dinosaurs. * All varieties of the Klaxosaurs have names that derive from German origin, such as Conrad, Gutenberg, Mohovoric, and Lehmann. * When the words VIRM and APE are combined and rearranged, it forms the word ‘vampire’. This is befitting for VIRM, as they are an alien species that devours the souls of other lifeforms. * The term pruning means to dispose excessive material from a tree or flower. In the series, though, it refers to the disposal of a parasite who fails to meet expectations and is (falsely) implied that those who are pruned are killed. Hidden Messages * Kokoro’s code number 556 and Mitsuru’s code number 326 adds up to 882, which can translate to hahani (“to become a mother”) in Japanese. With handakuten, it translates to papani (“to become a father”). This reflects how the two go on to become the first parasites to naturally bear a child. * With a different kanji 反乱 ‎(hiragana: はんらん, romaji: "hanran”), "hahani" also means "rebellion". Consummating their relationship and conceiving a baby were acts of rebellion against APE as Papa had banned any relationships besides professionalism. * All the FRANXX units from Squad 13 have unique colors, which the pilots also wear on their suits, to distinguish their connection to their FRANXX. Each color has a hidden meaning to the pilots’ personalities and relationships. ** Strelizia: Red. This is an intense and warm color that symbolizes passion, love, and danger. This reflects Hiro and Zero Two’s intense and passionate love for each other, and Zero Two’s dark past as the Partner Killer. ** Delphinium: Blue. This is a color that represents the sky and sea. It also symbolizes loyalty, wisdom, and trust. This reflects the unconditional trust between Ichigo and Goro, Ichigo’s status as the squad leader, and Goro as the most level-headed of their pair. ** Argentea: Pink. This is a color commonly associated with women. It also symbolizes immaturity, appreciation, and friendship. This reflects Miku’s fondness for anything cute, Zorome’s immature antics, and their constant feuding but strong amicable relationship. ** Genista: Green. This is a color that represents nature that symbolizes growth, fertility, and healing/balance. This reflects Kokoro’s desire to become a mother, Futoshi and Mitsuru’s growth as individuals, and the initial fallout and reconciliation from the partner shuffle. ** Chlorophytum: Purple. This is a color that represents royalty and symbolizes ambition, creativity, and moodiness. This reflects Mitsuru’s obsession to surpass Hiro and Ikuno using other means to activate the FRANXX other than having a close bond to her copilots. * In the opening's introduction screens, Kokoro and Mitsuru are the only two pilots who are glancing to their sides and towards their own partners (while everyone else is looking towards the camera). However, the way the shots transition between one another can also make it look like they aren't actually looking at their partners, but at each other. After they pair up in Episode 11, the opening is updated to have them in the same shot. ** In the second opening’s introduction, Kokoro and Mitsuru are the only pair who are facing and reaching out to each other but they are being pulled apart. This is clarified when their memories are altered after their relationship is discovered. * In the second opening, all the squad members are seen reaching for the sky while Zero Two comes down from the sky and kisses Hiro, and wings sprout from him. The events of Episode 23 and 24 starting with the children travelling to space to confront VIRM and fight for their freedom, and Zero Two saving Hiro before he can succumb to VIRM and they become the Jian, resonate with this. * The third end credits show a shadowy image of Ikuno nearly kissing someone who appears to be Ichigo. Episode 18 confirms that Ikuno is indeed in love with Ichigo. * The third end credits also show Kokoro sitting alone and holding her stomach before another scene shows her being hugged by an unseen boy. Episode 17 reveals that she wants to have a baby with Mitsuru, as she is in love with him, and he comforts her after she is berated for this. After their memories are altered and they become estranged, Episode 22 confirms that she is indeed pregnant, leading to their reconciliation. Notes * There are numerous sexual innuendos in the series. The most prominent being the position of the male-female pilots in the FRANXX; the pistil is positioned kneeling down in front of the stamen, who holds control yokes attaches to her hips, in a doggy-style fashion. ** Zorome says one can never forget their first time (piloting a FRANXX). ** Hiro describes the connection with Zero Two as “Going deeper inside her.”. ** The girls, upon synchronizing with their male partners, tell them to “come to me.”. ** Zero Two flirtatiously tells Hiro he did amazing after he first piloted with her. ** The ring exchange during Kokoro and Mitsuru’s wedding shows Kokoro flinching as the ring is too small on her finger but she tells Mitsuru to keep going. ** All the FRANXX units are designed to appear feminine, with profound breasts and figures. ** Hiro's inability to pilot one in most situations is treated as if he has a case of sexual dysfunction, complete with him attempting to motivate himself to pilot by kissing his copilot. ** Ikuno's desire to pilot with Ichigo, but their inability to get the FRANXX to move, reads as a girl trying to start a relationship with another girl but failing due to incompatible orientation. ** Additionally, piloting a FRANXX requires both parasites to deeply trust each other, which makes the metaphor specifically "sex in a loving relationship". * Magma is literally just rock that has melted from the Earth's internal heat, and once it's on the surface it's called lava. The concept of "magma energy" is basically just technobabble for whatever powers the series' machines and bears little resemblance to actual volcanology (beyond apparently being extracted from underground). In Episode 20, it is revealed magma energy is not actually magma but derived from Klaxosaurs who ‘returned to energy’, * There are two mythical motifs: ** Jian. It's a mythical bird with only one head and wing and it needs a male and female to fly and live. Because of that it's also associated with romance. The motif is represented by the Parasites piloting the Franxx which takes a male and female to pilot. ** Phoenix: Episode 24 gives this to Hiro and Zero Two who sacrifice themselves to stop VIRM and are reincarnated later on and with the Jian in their picture book looking more like a Phoenix in appearance. In Chinese mythology, the Fenghuang (phoenix) is also a fusion of two birds, one male (Feng) and one female (Huang). * There are three animal motifs examples: ** Birds: The young parasites are compared to nestlings huddled together in their dark nest dreaming of one day being able to see the sky; the cooperation between male and female pilots operating Franxx is compared to a myth of a species of bird where males and females have only one wing and thus can only fly together; and parasites who are unable to pilot are compared to birds unable to fly, doomed to an early death because, "where would a flightless bird go?" ** Bees: The Plantations' society is divided into strict societal roles, with Papa and the other adults acting like queen bees while the parasites act as soldiers defending the hive/plantation. Their tech and power is fueled by magma, which is colored a honey gold color. The interior city of the plantation is all golden buildings. Gold hexagonal shapes like honeycomb are frequently used, in in interior hallways, in the mission control computer screens and cockpit screens of the Franxx. It also ties into the parasites' designation as stamens and pistils, and all the Franxx being named after flowers. ** Bears: Relatedly, the klaxosaurs are giant beasts trying to steal the plantations' magma like bears do to honey bee hives. Zero Two, being part klaxosaur, also seems to have a fondness for covering her food in either honey or syrup. She also first met Hiro while she was catching fish with her teeth. * Ikuno carries around a book with lilies on the cover. In Japanese, lily translates to ‘yuri’ which means ‘girl-girl romance’, signifying her sexuality. * Kokoro’s name means heart and Mitsuru’s name means fullness in Japanese respectively. Their daughter’s, Ai, name means love. Putting these in a sentence, you get “My heart is full of love.”. * XX:me, the unit that performs the ending themes, consists of the voice actresses of the main female cast. A variation of this is used in Episode 13, where Haruka Tomatsu (Zero Two) solos the ending theme. * The Lyrics to Strelizia's theme song Vanquish, first heard in episode 1, actually summarizes episode 13. The song is in English, but in an etherial choral style, making it hard to notice if you didn't know ahead of time * In Episode 23, Strelizia True Apus’ appearance looks like Zero Two in a wedding dress with the Klaxosaur bomb as a blue bouquet of flowers. Zero Two narrates in Episode 24 that she and Hiro have “left for our honeymoon”, implying they got married albeit symbolically.